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So, surprise me on Mother’s Day

A few nights ago, driving home from my mother-in-law’s birthday dinner, Sam was whining from the backseat when she was going to get a new digital camera. I said I didn’t know. I had just paid her tuition for the entire year and I felt that my bank book was deflated — and I mean, ... (more)

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Flea-free cats and kittens

If your cat has fleas, Sergeant’s Skip-Flea & Tick Shampoo (which we use on our pet kittens) has specific instructions on how to use it when bathing the pets for maximum benefits. From the back label of the Sergeant’s Skip-Flea & Tick Shampoo bottle: Wet the pet and apply a generous amount of shampoo working ... (more)

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Divorce rate in U.S. down

The divorce rate in the U.S. is at its lowest since 1970. Does that mean that couples are striving harder and succeeding in making their marriage work? Not necessarily. Some think it’s because less people get married these days and, ergo, the divorce rates are down too. Seems more Americans opt to simply co-habit (live-in ... (more)

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TOFI: thin outside, fat inside

The “thin is beautiful” fad drives many people to go on a perpetual — and, sometimes, unhealthy — diet. The smarter ones combine a sensible diet with exercise. Either way, thinness can be achieved. But people want to be thin for a variety of reasons: health, vanity, peer pressure… the list goes on. For people ... (more)

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How to order Peking roasted duck in a Chinese restaurant

Peking roasted duckNot all Chinese restaurants serve Peking roasted duck. Among the ones that do, the quality of the roasted duck varies. The best Peking Duck I ever tasted was at a restaurant called Peacock in Makati. My father used to bring me there but I have no idea if the establishment still exists. The worst Peking Duck experience I have ever had was at Spring Deer restaurant along Timog Avenue in Quezon City. The skin was carved and served with the traditional Chinese pancakes. Then, the staff carried the duck away. My goodness, with all the meat remaining? That was many, many years ago. I hope the service has improved.

A few days ago, to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 82nd birthday, we had dinner at Causeway Seafood Restaurant, one of the Chinese restaurants where we don’t have any complaints about the quality of the food. My sister-in-law ordered Peking roasted duck and there was a discussion about how the duck would be served.

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Egg (custard) pie

Warning: do not attempt to bake an egg pie using a loose-bottom pan. I did and, within minutes from placing the pan in the oven, I could smell something burning — the filling seeped through the pie crust and was dripping on the oven floor. I ran to retrieve a tray to place under it. ... (more)

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How’s your relationship with your mother-in-law?

If you’re old enough (like I am) to remember TV host Pepe Pimentel, one of his favorite subjects for his jokes was his mother-in-law. My father used to say that Pimentel must either genuinely hate his mother-in-law’s guts or their relationship must be so good that the old lady would treat the jokes as nothing ... (more)

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Camouflage

Insects can hide from predators because of their ability to blend with their surroundings. My eyes missed the grasshopper among the leaves of the hibiscus but, looking through the camera lens, I did manage to see it.

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Aperture priority and the appearance of water

Even the camera manual will tell you that the appearance of falling water will differ under various settings of the camera’s aperture opening.    Now, if only GIMP will give me the EXIF data, I can tell you the aperture settings I used for the photos above.

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You called?

I woke up one morning a few weeks ago to find a message from Anton on my cell phone. The message was, “You called?” I was more than a bit surprised because I knew for sure that I didn’t call him up. I checked the log of outgoing calls and, sure enough, a call to ... (more)